


I'll Make Your Dreams Come True

by lilymcenvy



Category: Celtic Thunder (Band)
Genre: AU, Blogging, F/M, M/M, Teacher-Student Relationship, Youtuber - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-27
Updated: 2017-09-13
Packaged: 2018-06-04 20:26:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 15,257
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6674353
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lilymcenvy/pseuds/lilymcenvy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>She's in her last year of high school and she's already a successful blogger and youtuber. But graduating is still a thing she desperately wants to do before fully focusing on her on-line job.<br/>Will she succeed or will some unexpected events make her give up this dream?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

"Neeeeil! Move that fine piece of ass of yours! We'll be late!" she yells in front of his house, "Again," she whispers for herself.  
"Calm down, Lil'bun, we have plenty of time!" she hears from his open window. She just sighs.  
"Hello there," Neil's father steps out to the front yard and smiles at Lily.  
"Good evening, Mr. Byrne," she smiles back.  
"You're still waiting on him, huh?" he laughs.  
"Yeah. As usual."  
"Of course. But today it takes him a bit extra, doesn't it?"  
She shrugs: "I'm kinda used to it so I don't really notice," she laughs.  
"Then have a cigarette with me, will ya?"  
"Sure thing!" she says and finds the pack of cigarettes in her bag. He pulls the lighter from his pocket and lights her a cigarette.  
"Thanks," she smiles when she breathes the smoke out of her lungs.  
"So what party are you two going to?" he asks when he lights the cigarette for himself.  
"It's actual a concert. Neil's friends from school sing in a band and they invited us to see them perform."  
"Oh, wow, that sounds like fun."  
"Yeah, I know. I'm super excited!"  
"Any chance you know when you two are coming back?" he smiles.  
She shakes her head: "No idea."  
"Alright then. Just make sure  _he makes sure_ you get home safely," he says and points at the window of Neil's room.  
"Of course," she nods and laughs.  
"How's all the blogging going?" he asks then.  
"Really good, thanks for asking," she gives him a thankful smile.  
That's when Neil finally steps out from the front door and walks towards them: "What are you two talking about?" he asks.  
"Just saying you're worse than a woman when it comes to getting ready for anything," his dad responds and Lily laughs.  
"Oh, haha, dad! Very funny!" Neil says sarcastically, "C'mon, Lil'. We should get going or we'll be late," he turns to her.  
"If we're late, it will be your fault, honey bun!"   
"Alright! I'm sorry! Let's go!" he laughs.  
"Okay. See you, Mr. Byrne," she smiles at Neil's dad.  
"See you, Lily. Have fun, kids!" he waves them off and they get going.  
"So... How excited are you?" he asks her while they're walking along the street and puts one arm around her shoulders.  
"Oh my god! I'm so excited! We are gonna have so much fun! Right?" she smiles.  
"You bet! From what I've heard I think they are really good!"  
"So it's five guys, right?"  
Neil just nods.  
"Oh my.... Are they cute or what?" she smiles.  
"I should have known that's why you're going," he shakes his head.  
"Oh, c'mon, babe! That's why  _you_ 're going!" she laughs and leans in to kiss his cheek.  
"Well..." he starts but then he just laughs with her.  
"So they are cute, right?" she asks again.  
"I believe so... Well, at least one is, for sure!"  
"Oh my god! You are in love!" she says just too loudly that few people on the street actually turn their heads to them. But she just can't help it. She's so happy for him.  
"Oh, Jesus! Calm down, Lil'bun! I'm not in love. I haven't even met him properly. I just saw him once, we didn't even spoke to each other. But he's definitely cute!"  
"Awwww!" she smiles.  
Then they actually get to the venue - quite a small bar in the city centre. There's a few people in front of the entrance but they don't look like they wanna come in. So Lily and Neil just pay their entrance fees and go in. They go straight to the bar to buy something to drink.  
"Let's have a shot of something strong, honey bun!" Lily says. She's already having a great time.  
"Oh yeah, we have to!" Neil laughs and order two shots of tequila, beer for himself and a glass of wine for Lily. Then they go to one table.   
"So, cheers to tonight!" Lily says when they've sit down and lift her tequila.  
"Cheers to tonight!" Neil smiles, they clink with the glasses and drink the liquor.  
"Oh, wow! This night's gonna be so crazy!" Lily laughs after her throat stops burning.   
"I hope!" Neil says and sips from his glass of beer.   
"Oh, hey, man!" comes from behind them and they both turn their heads.  
There's a guy with longer blond hair smiling ear to ear with two bottles of beer in one hand.  
"Hi there!" Neil greets him, "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be backstage or something?"  
"Yeah, I guess. I just had to get a beer for me and big George. The rest of the guys is just too nervous to drink before the show," he laughs, "And Ryan is just a nervous wreck! I told him you're coming and he's just... shaking!" he gives Neil a mysterious smile.  
"Oh, I guess Ryan is the cute one then, huh?" Lily asks Neil with a smile. And she would swear he's blushing.  
"Oh,  _the cute one,_ huh?" Keith laughs and Neil just sits there smiling shyly.  
"By the way, I'm Keith," he says to Lily and reaches his hand to her, "You must be Lily."  
"Yep, that's me. Good to meet you, Keith," she smiles and shakes his hand.  
"You too! I've heard a lot about you!"  
"Oh... Good things I suppose?!"  
"The best ones!" he laughs and winks at her, "Anyway... I should go. Talk to you after the show, guys," he says and disappears backstage.  
"Oh, damn! How cute is he!" she says and shakes her head in disbelieve, "I can't wait to see the rest of them!"  
"Behave!" Neil laughs.  
"Sorry," she says but laughs too, "What kind of music they do anyway?" she asks then.  
"Irish."  
"No way! Like... hard-core traditional Irish one?"  
He nods: "I mean... They do some pop songs too but yeah... Basically they are Irish band."  
"Wow! This is gonna be amazing!"  
Then the lights go off. The second after that the stage lights switch on and without any introduction the music starts playing and they start singing. And Lily just has goose bumps. They're singing Heartland which is like one of her all-time favourite, of course. Keith sings the first solo and he's just so good. Then they sing the chorus together, all five of them.   
"Oh my god!" Lily whispers to Neil, "They are seriously amazing! It's ridiculous!"  
"I know!" he laughs.  
Then there's this dark haired guy who sings the next solo and by the fact that Neil is basically beaming with pride, Lily just guesses that it's Ryan. And yeah, he is really cute. And sings like god. And Neil has one of his loving smiles on his face which is adorable.  
"Could you be any more in love with this guy?!" Lily asks him with a smile.  
"Probably not," he replies and they both laugh, "So what do you think about him?" he asks.  
"You were right, he's so damn cute! And his voice is just... like kinda perfect."  
"I know!" he smiles, still watching Ryan on the stage. And it's just so adorable how much in love he is. And guessing by what Keith said so is Ryan. And that's amazing and Lily is so happy for both of them. So she turns her attention back to the stage. They've finished Heartland and it's now just Keith and his acoustic guitar singing The Dutchman. Such a good song! Lily just loves it and she realizes that Keith's just cool as much as he's cute. And that's just crazy. She sips from her glass of wine and sits back and enjoys Keith's amazing voice.   
After Keith disappears from the stage, this tall bald guy comes on his place and stars singing the song Working man which is such a beautiful song. And that voice... Lily almost stops breathing for a moment because... of that voice. At the end of the song the rest of the guys come up on the stage and sing the last chorus together. But Lily just can't take her eyes off of the bald guy. The way he's smiling when he sings like he's so happy and proud to do that. And well... He has a reason to be proud. He is so amazing!   
She wants to ask Neil what's his name and what's he like or something. But she knows she wouldn't hear the end of it. Like... why is she so curious about him and stuff like that. So she just patiently waits and enjoys the concert. All the guys are amazing. Doesn't matter if they're singing solo or all together. They are so talented as individuals but do such a good harmonies as well. Lily's loving every moment. She actually knows all the song and also loves them all.   
At one moment the bald guy is actually singing a song just with Ryan. So both Lily and Neil are just sitting there, watching them, listening carefully with their mouths wide open. They're singing Gold and Silver Days and it's such a sweet song. At one moment Lily's afraid she's gonna cry. So she just sips from her glass and takes a deep breath. This is definitely the best concert she's ever been to. And she and Neil have been to a lot of concerts!  
They end the show with Caledonia.  
"What a great last song this is!" she whispers to Neil.  
"I know, right! I love it! Did you like the concert by the way?" he asks like he would just realise she was there with him the whole time.  
"Are you kidding?" she laughs, "I absolutely loved it! They are just amazingly amazing!"  
Neil laughs too: "I'm glad you like them. I will be taking you to see them often in the future."  
"You better!" she smiles.  
They finish the last song and start saying goodbyes to the crowd. All the lights turn on and everyone is cheering. But Lily and Neil are definitely the loudest ones. And they just don't care. Like at all!  
Guys see them from the stage and laugh. Keith sends Lily a kiss which just makes her smile because... Well, he is cute! Then Ryan does the same thing but she just knows it's more for Neil than for her but she smiles anyway. When she looks at the bald guy, she realises that he's actually looking at her too. And he's giving her one of his adorable smiles. She can feel her heart racing in her chest and she almost forgets how to breathe... And she doesn't even know his name! But she just can't look away. So they're looking into each other's eyes till the guys disappear backstage.  
"Oh, wow! Just wow!" she has to take a deep breath.  
"Exactly!" Neil laughs.  
The guys step out from backstage and walk to the bar. Some people give them looks and smiles, some people even clap and cheer for them again. Guys thank them with a little nods and smiles but walk straight to Lily and Neil's table. Lily feels her heart racing. Her eyes are locked on that one guy she's just dying to meet.  
Guys sit down to the table. Keith sits next to Lily and Ryan rushes to get the seat next to Neil which makes Lily and Keith laugh. Neil's blushing and Lily finds it just adorable. The bald guy's siting opposite to Lily and she realizes her knees are shaking. She takes a deep breath and gives him a little smile which he immediately gives her back.   
"We should get a drink or something, right guys?" Keith smiles to his friends.  
"I'll go get it," the bald guys offers. And Lily knows what to do: "I'll go with you. I've run out too," she smiles and looks at the empty glass in front of her.  
"Okay then," he gives her the biggest smile she's ever seen, "What're you having guys?" he turns to them. When they give him their orders he gets up and so does Lily. She promises Neil to get him another beer and they both head for the bar.   
"So what's your name?" he asks her when they get to the bar and they're waiting for the barman to notice them.  
"Oh, right. I'm Lily," she says with a smile and reaches her hand to him.  
"Nice to meet you, Lil'. I'm George," he shakes her hand.  
"Big George," slips from her mouth before she can even realize it.  
"How do you know that?" he laughs.  
"Well... Keith said something like that before the show," she feels the embarrassment on her cheeks.  
"Of course he did."  
"Anyway... You guys were amazing!" she smiles shyly.  
"Well thank you very much, little one."  
"C'mon, this is not fair. Big George is such a cool nickname. Little one is... You're just making fun of me," she says trying so hard to be offended but she just can't help it but laugh.  
"I wouldn't dare!" he laughs too and winks at her.  
Then George orders the drinks and as they're waiting for them, the bar gets kind of overcrowded so they're forced to stand really close to each other. And like that's not enough, he also gently puts his hand on the small of her back. And her heart does a back flip in her chest. She feels million butterflies in her stomach and doesn't really know what to do. So she looks at him... And gets lost in his kind blue eyes that are locked onto her.  
"Sorry, should I put the hand away?" he asks.  
"Please, don't!" she whispers and he smiles.  
But then the barman brings their drinks and they have to get back to reality to pay for them. They do, then George takes the tray with all the drinks and they both head back to the table. Lily's knees are still shaking when she sits down.  
Then they all drink, talk, laugh... They're just having a great time. Boys make fun of each other that makes Lily cry from laughing but it's also adorable because it shows how great friends they are. Neil and Ryan have eyes just for each other which makes Lily really happy.  
When they're finished with their drinks, Keith and Paul get up to go to the bar. At this moment Lily's a bit tipsy and she's just dying to be alone with George. Though she doesn't really know if it's the wine speaking.   
Keith and Paul get back and they all drink and talk some more.  
When it's almost midnight, Neil turns to Lily: "Hey, Lil'bun, me and Ryan are leaving, okay?"  
"Already?" she wonders.  
He nods: "Yeah, we're going to his place."  
"Oh, I see!" she smiles, "Well then... Have fun, babe!" she winks at him.  
"Will you get home alright?" he worries.  
"Of course, I will, honey, don't worry about me! Just go and enjoy the night."  
"Okay, thanks. I'll call you in the morning," he smiles and leans in to kiss her cheek, "Bye."  
"Bye, honey bun. Bye, Ryan."  
They get up, say goodbye to the boys and leave.   
But the bar is still full of people, they still have something to drink... So the fun is still not over. And Lily's really enjoying the night. Keith's is just hilarious, so is Paul, and Lily laughs a lot.  
After maybe two more hours, Keith gets up to go talk to some of his other friends that are in the bar and George moves closer to Lily.  
Before she can do anything, he leans in to whisper in her ear: "Do you wanna just get out of here? We can go to my place."  
"That would be very nice, actually," she gives him a seductive smile and feels her heart racing in her chest and her knees getting weak.  
"Okay, then," he smiles all happy and obviously proud of himself.  
They get up, say goodbye to boys and leave the bar.  
"So, we walk?" she asks when they step out on the street.  
"Yeah, it's just a couple of blocks away," he answers and puts an arm around her shoulders and leads the way.  
She's all snuggled up by his side and she's almost surprised about how safe she feels with him even though she practically just met the guy and giving the history she's got with men. But he seems different than the others - grown up, kind, nice and all gentleman like. She's smiling as they're walking down the street and he notices.  
"You're happy?" he asks.  
"I'm too drunk to tell for sure, but... Yeah, I think I am," she says and looks him in the eyes.  
He laughs and without a word, he kisses her lips. She notices that familiar taste of Guinness at his lips but she likes it. They stop and get lost in the moment for a second. She wraps her arms around his waist and he plays with her hair.  
She smiles into the kiss as she can tell how turn on he is and well... She is too. It all seems kinda wild. She's never like this - to go out for the night with friends and end up going home with a stranger. It's crazy, and quite dangerous... But maybe that's what makes it that much exciting.  
She brushes her tongue against his bottom lip and when she gently bites it, he moans quietly.  
He breaks the kiss: "C'mon, let's go, it's not far," he whispers, grabs her hand and leads her down the road. She doesn't say a word, but smiles and follows him.  
They arrive at his place in about ten minutes and as soon as the door closes behind them, he pushes her against the wall and attacks her lips again. And clothes are coming off in a minute. She doesn't mind the speed this whole thing is getting into. She, as well, can't wait to get in bed with him. Which is... Well, totally not like her! But something about this guy just seems to make her become a completely different person.  
When they get into the sheets, they're both already naked. And it's all getting very hot... And sweet... And very nice! And she realises that this night, indeed, turned into something really amazing.


	2. Chapter 2

She opens her eyes slowly. Both of her temples are pulsing with pain. The bright sun light shining in through the windows doesn't really help.  
"Damn you, hangover!" she whispers a curse. Then she actually realises where she is and what happened last night. She slowly turns her head to see a sleeping man next to her and she smiles for herself.  _'Well, that was fun!'_ goes through her head,  _'Now, it's time to get out,'_ and as she's thinking that, she carefully gets up from the bed and goes to find all her clothes, which is not very easy, as they're all over the place. She obviously tries to be as quiet as possible not to wake George but it takes her quite some time to find everything.   
She's already put her dress and a jacket on and she just needs to find her panties because she just won't leave without them! Especially when she's wearing a white dress.   
She's quietly looking around the bedroom and she's starting to be almost desperate.   
When all she can think about is  _'Damn, damn, damn!'_ , there goes: "Oh, good morning. You're already up, ay?" from the bed. And she friezes. She really wanted to be gone when he wakes up. She just doesn't want to deal with all that awkwardness after an one-night stand.   
"Oh, yeah, good morning," she smiles at him quite nervously, "I was just about to leave. Sorry if I woke you."  
"It's absolutely alright, don't worry," he smiles and she tries not to look at him because he's so adorable, it's not even humanly possible. "Are you looking for something?" he asks.  
"Yeah. Actually, I am... Would you happen to know where my panties are?" she lifts the hem of her dress a little and gives him a playful smile.  
He raises one eyebrow but then he just laughs: "Come here, little one!"  
She laughs but then she shakes her head: "I should really get going, you know."  
"Oh, c'mon! Just one last kiss before we say goodbye!" he winks at her. And how could she say no to that handsome face?!   
"Okay, then," she capitulates with a smile and jumps back in the bed, right into his arms.  
"That's what I'm talking about!" he says, holding her chin with one hand and kissing her lips.  
After a couple of minutes, he breaks the kiss and asks her: "Now... Are ya sure you don't wanna stay for breakfast?"  
"Yes, I'm sure, big George," she whispers into his ear.  
"Well... I suppose there's no point in trying to persuade you?" he tries again.  
"Please, don't! I mean... It's really hard to resist you and you know... I should really be going home! Got some work and stuff."  
"Alright. Then... I think your panties are actually under the bed," he smiles.  
"What?" she laughs, "How would they get there?" she gets up from the bed and looks under it. "Oh my... Are ya serious?" she laughs in disbelieve when she sees her underwear there.  
"I told you!" he laughs too, "We got kinda crazy last night."  
"No kidding!" she says as she puts on the last missing piece of her outfit, "Anyway... I'm gonna go now," she looks him in the eyes.  
"Sure. Get home safe and I see ya around, I guess," he gives her a hopeful smile.  
"I guess," she smiles too and heads for the door, "Bye, big George," she says without even turning her head.  
"Bye, little one," she hears from the bedroom as she leaves the flat.  
When she steps out from the building, very quickly she realises in what part of the city she is and starts heading home. She finds a pack of cigarettes in her bag and lights one as she dials Neil's number on her phone.  
"Morning, Lil'bun," he greets her after just a few seconds.  
"Hi, babe. You're still at Ryan's?" she asks.  
"I just left, actually. Heading home right now."  
"Oh, really? I'm heading home just now too. Just 'bout to cross the river. Wanna meet somewhere? We can walk together."  
"You bet. We can meet by The Church and hit the Starbucks somewhere for a breakfast. Maybe you can tell me why the hell you're going home in the morning."  
And she laughs: "Sounds like a plan. Be there in a few minutes. See ya."  
"See ya in a bit," he says and hangs up.  
When she arrives at the meeting point, he's still not there so she uses the time to make herself look some kind of decent. She finds a hairband in her bag and makes her I-just-had-sex kind of messed up hair into a ponytail. Then she checks herself in a little pocket mirror and puts a bit of makeup under her eyes.  
"Don't worry. You look dashing, as always," she can hear Neil laughing.  
"Oh, shut up, will ya?" she laughs too, puts everything back into the bag and greets her best friend with a hug and a kiss on the cheek.  
"Good to see you too, Lil'bun!"  
"Oh, shut it. You know I love you!" she gives him her best smile and kisses his cheek again.  
Then they head, hand in hand, in direction of the nearest Starbucks.  
"So? How was it? I wanna know everything!" she asks him right away.  
"Oh, Lily... It was perfect!" and he just melts.  
"Awwww! I'm so happy for you, guys! When will you see him again?"  
"Soon!"  
"Well, good! He better be nice to you or otherwise... You know."  
"Oh, I know, honey. You'll make his life a living hell," he says and they both laugh. "Now... About ya? Where were you the whole night?" he asks then.  
"Well... I was with George," she shrugs like it's no big deal.  
"No?" he seems almost shocked.  
"Yeah... What?"  
"I thought... You'd be with Keith, to be honest."  
"Why?"  
"I dunno. You said he's cute."  
"He is. But... I dunno... There was something about George... Hard to explain... I just felt like doing something a bit crazy," she laughs quietly.  
"Oh," he just says.  
"Oh? What the hell does that mean?"  
He shrugs: "Nothing, really... I mean... Are you already regretting sleeping with George?"  
"What the fuck, Neil? Why would I?"  
He shrugs again.  
"Alright. Let's get something for breakfast and sit. Then you have to explain all of this because I don't understand the shit you're saying," she says as they step into a Starbucks café. They both get coffee and sometimes sweet to eat and then they head for a little table by the window.  
"So what the heck is your problem with George?!" she asks right away and sips from her cup.  
"Nothing. Really!"  
"Neil?!" she knows him too well to know when he wants to tell her something she might not like hearing.  
"Look... I just think that maybe... He's not the right guy for you... George doesn't do relationships... At least since he's got divorced."  
"He was married?" she wonders.  
Neil nods: "For quite some time. But then it ended, out of nowhere. Even boys don't know why. But... It's not very hard to tell when shortly after the divorce he was fooling 'round with every girl he met."  
"Really? Doesn't seem like him at all!" she's surprised.  
"I know. He knows his game... I'm sorry, babe, that you've got hurt."  
"I'm not hurt, so no reason to be sorry," she smiles, "And I definitely don't regret sleeping with him. It was freaking amazing!"  
"What? So... You don't mind him throwing you out in the morning?"  
"He didn't throw me out!" she shakes her head, "He actually wanted me to stay for breakfast. I was the one who wanted to leave as soon as possible. I actually wanted to leave before he wakes up... It just took me ages to find all my clothes," she laughs.  
"Who are you and what did you do to Lily?"  
"Oh, don't be such a prude! I just felt like having some fun!" she shrugs.  
"But you always believed in love and a proper relationship."  
"Oh, gosh, Neil! It doesn't mean I'll live in celibacy till I meet the right guy! God knows how long it'd take! I have my needs," she laughs.  
"So what happens when you and George meet again?"  
She shrugs: "I dunno... We're both adults, you know, so..."  
"Okay," he laughs.  
"Now... Tell me about Ryan again!"   
So they talk while sipping coffee, they laugh while engaging in their favourite activity - talking about guys.


	3. Chapter 3

August went by so quickly. She was unusually busy with stuff around blog and her YouTube channel. She didn't mind. She was actually glad. Neil was acting like he'd forget about her since he was with Ryan. So working was the only way not to think about the fact she might have lost her best friend. And last week of summer holiday she spent in her London office working on her first ever clothes line. She was so excited about it that she almost forgot to look forward to the first day of her high school senior year.  
And when the time came, she almost couldn't fall asleep how much she couldn't wait to get back to school and see her classmates again.  
***  
She wakes up early, doesn't even need an alarm clock. She jumps out of bed and with a happy smile she heads for the bathroom for her morning routine and to put her make-up on. While she's making breakfast, she film an introduction for her today's vlog. Of course, she's gonna be filming today. She always films the first day of school. Everyone in school knows about her YouTube channel and they're all so cool about it which makes it even more fun to film there.  
After breakfast, she puts the clothes on and runs to catch the bus. As soon as she hops on the bus, she can see the group of four of her classmates in the back of the bus.  
"Hey, peeps," she goes right to them.  
They all greet her with happy smiles.  
"C'mon, girl! Let's get your camera out and film some crazy stuff," her friend Terri says.  
She laughs: "You mean like last year when we were dancing on the school roof during the first break?"  
"Something like that, yeah!" they all laugh with that memory. So she takes the camera out of her bag and starts filming.  
They get to school and even before the first lesson starts, the little radio they have in their class is already playing quite loudly and they're having a little dancing party. They don't even hear the ring signalizing the beginning of the first lesson.  
"Alright, kids! Save the dancing for the drama class! This is mathematics!" comes from the door as their teacher appears in the class. They all laugh but somebody turns off the radio, they all sit down and the lesson starts.  
***  
By the end of the third class, there are already rumours going round the school about the usual stuff - who's dating who, who broke up with who during the summer, who's in trouble, which professors are gonna be super nice this year and which not... But there are also quite good news about a new history professor which makes Lily very happy. She always loved history but the professor they had last year was super annoying. And she has a history lesson today so she actually can't wait to see what all the news and rumours are about.  
***  
"C'mon, Terri! Last lesson of the day!" she says to her friend as they make their way to the history class.  
"What do ya think? Will we have a new teacher?" Terri asks.  
"I surely hope so."  
"Ya and me both, sister!" he says and they both laugh.  
They sit down in the back of the classroom and wait for the lesson to start.   
Just a few seconds after the ring, a new professor comes in. And as soon as Lily sees him, she would swear her heart stops. She desperately tries to hide herself behind Terri who's sitting in front of her but ultimately, she has no idea what to do.  
"Good morning, class!" George says in his velvet voice and she closes her eyes with a hope she'd become invisible.  
"Fuck, fuck, fuck," she whisper for herself.  
"What's the matter?" Terri turns to her as he obviously heard her.  
"Nothing. Everything's fine," she says and even she herself has to admit it was a lame lie. But before Terri can catch her lying, George notices they're talking when he's trying to lead a class: "Quiet back there, please!"  
And as Terri turns back to face the front, Lily catches George's eyes looking right at her. Her blood runs cold and she forgets to breathe.  
And George losses it for a second there too. He just stares at her like he'd just see the ghost of his past - which is actually kinda true. The room goes silent. Lily's playing with an idea to get up and just jump out of the window to get away from this. She just doesn't need this! She has enough with the whole thing around Neil and all her work and stuff. She doesn't need that summer-one-night-stand-turning-into-the-new-professor drama. This is too much!  
Then Terri saves them from more awkwardness: "Let me help you there, sir. If she seems kinda familiar to you, it's probably because she's quite famous on the Internet... And beyond," he says and turns back to give Lily a wink and a smile. She returns the smile to him but doubts it's somehow believable.  
George clears his throat and without further ado he starts the lecture.  
Lily breathes out and relaxes a bit. Though she has a feeling this is not gonna be good at all, there's nothing she can do about it.  
She opens her notebook with a plan to actually make some notes. She tries to focus on what George's saying. But all she can think about is that one summer night...  
***  
"So what was that with Donaldson?" Terri asks her when they're heading to a bar for some after-first-day-of-school fun.  
"What do you mean?"  
"Oh, don't act like you don't know!" he asks, "The way he was looking... Staring at you?"  
She shrugs: "Don't know what that was. He probably though he knew me, but couldn't tell from where," she tries to play it cool, but she's actually kinda freaking out. Truth is she needs to talk about it with someone. But Terri's not the right person, obviously. She just needs Neil now. She needs her best friend.  
"Didn't he seem kinda nervous the whole lesson?" Terri shoots another question.  
But she just shrugs again. Terri's right, though. George was quite nervous. He never looked at her for the whole time but he sure knew she was there. She was watching him, she noticed he wasn't really okay. But well, neither was she... She didn't make a single note to her notebook. She doesn't even know what that lecture was about.  
"Why did you run from the class so quickly after it ended?" Terri doesn't give up. He's not stupid, he obviously knows something's going on. But what is she supposed to tell him? That she slept with their new professor?!  
"I just really needed to pee," she lies. Though she actually really went to the bathroom. She needed to calm down, take a breath and try to call Neil. She failed at all those things... Neil didn't pick it up, she wasn't calm at all and she actually has troubles breathing normally as her heart is beating so freaking fast!  
"Maybe... He just hopelessly fell in love with you," Terri chuckles.  
"Oy, boy! Drop this already, alright?!" she actually yells at him even though she knows it's not his fault.  
"Sorry!" he says, surprised by her response.  
She sighs: "No... I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell. I just..." she sighs again.  
"Oh, girl, you should really take it easy with your work and stuff... Seems to me like you have a lot on your plate!" he says and put one arm around her shoulders.  
"You're right, boo! I'm just overworked," she says but all she can think about is: ' _I'm screwed!'_


	4. Chapter 4

Three weeks of school are behind them and every day is harder and harder. Lily's so physically and mentally drained that sometimes she just thinks she can't go on. She's working so much. But she loves her job and working is the only thing that makes her happy right now so she won't complain about that.  
There are two things - two people that make her cry herself to sleep every night, literally. One of them is Neil, who's still not responding to her phone calls and texts, even though she's trying every day.  
The other is obviously George. Not surprisingly, he didn't really know what to do with the whole teacher/student situation between them, so he probably panicked and decided for the worst option - make her life a living hell. Every day he's giving her hateful looks, whether it is during the lesson or when they just run into each other in a school corridor during the break. Whatever reasons he's got, he just wants her to think that he hates her. Or he really hates her, that's the other option, of course. But just the thought of that makes her feels miserable. Her anxiety got so much worse again, when she thought she got it under control. And there is really nothing she can do about it.  
Right now she's in a history class, sitting behind Terri, waiting for the lesson to start. Last time, George gave them the first test of this year. She was studying the whole night. She had to borrow Terri's notes, though, because hers was just rubbish. She just can't focus on anything else but George during the lesson. So she told Terri that her notes didn't make quite a lot of sense to her and she wanted to go through his to see if she can actually understand what all of that stuff is about.   
She tried her best to be prepared for the test. She just didn't want to give George any reason to make her life even worse than it already is. She managed to answer all the questions and she was quite confident in getting a good mark.  
The ring goes off and George walks in the classroom a short moment after that. The door closes and the lesson starts.  
"Good morning, class," he says, putting some stuff down on the teacher's desk, "I got your test results. You all did very well. There were a few exceptions, of course, but we work on that... So don't worry if you don't get a very good mark," he smiles and starts handing out marked tests.  
Lily's watching him, for some reason she's quite nervous about her test results. Finally, he walks to her and puts a sheet of paper on her desk. They exchange looks and she would swear he smirks. Then she looks down and all she can see is that stupid bold F in a red circle at the top of the page and she just can't believe it.  
"What?!" she whispers in a shock.  
"Oh, yeah, yours was quite bad. I guess you should rather study more instead of filming pointless videos," he says to her and she just stares at him, not really sure if he's serious or not. The whole room actually goes silent, everybody seems surprised by what he said. But he ignores all the looks and just keeps handing out the papers like nothing happened.  
Lily just sighs in complete resignation. There's no point in arguing with him anyway. All she can do is hope that next time he'll give her the mark she really deserves.  
***  
"So are you still sure there's nothing going on between you and Donaldson?" Terri asks her when they're leaving school.  
"Definitely. I... I guess, he's right... I should have studied more for that test," she answers, not believing a single word she said.  
"Well, that's bullshit, but alright, lass!" he gives up, "Anyway, you're leaving for London today, right?" he asks then.  
She nods. She actually can't wait to get away for a few days.  
"It won't be that much fun in school without you," Terri smiles.  
"Thanks, boo. Truth is, I really could use some time off, ya know."  
"I get that! Well, enjoy the youtubers party and stuff. And don't forget to film everything so I'll know what you're up to."  
"Like you don't know me," she laughs.  
They hug and say their goodbyes and she's on her way home.


	5. Chapter 5

When she arrives home, she heads for her room where she has already packed her suitcase last night so she is ready to leave. She puts her school backpack down and reaches for her phone to one pocket to call her mum to tell her she is heading out. As she's dialing the number, she steps towards the window to look out, across the street, to her best friend's house. Well, her ex best friend's house. She hasn't spoken to him in what feels like ages. She wonders what he's doing now.   
"Darling? Are you there?“ her mum's voice brings her back to reality.  
"Oh, hey, mama, sorry, I'm here, hello," she says quickly and turns away from the window.  
"Hello, honey, what's up?"  
"I'm just calling to say I'm heading to the airport."  
"Okay, hon, just be careful and text me when you get there, okay?"  
"Sure thing, ma."   
"And have fun!"  
"I will," she smiles, "Bye. Say hi to dad for me."  
"I will. Bye."  
She grabs her stuff and in a minute she's leaving the house. She heads to the bus stop to get on the bus to the airport.   
As she's waiting on the bus, her phone starts ringing. She looks at the display and see her manager is calling.  
"Hey, Danny," she accepts the phonecall.  
"Hey, sugar, already on your way over here?" she hears that familiar friendy voice.  
"Just heading to the airport. Can't wait to be there."  
"Can't wait to see you again. I am sorry I made you miss a few days of school."  
"I am not," she says and they both laugh.  
"Anyway," he says then, "I had a little favour to ask."  
"What is it?"  
"We have a newbie here - well, we will. He's gonna sign in when he arrives today. And he is from Dublin like you, and he's gonna be on the same plane actually. He's just seventeen and I think he mentioned it's his first time on the plane. I though... Maybe you could find him on the airport and help him a bit."  
"I would love that! You know how much I hate flying alone. What does he do?"  
"He makes great videos. He's really funny, you're gonna love him! I'll send you the link to his channel."  
"Cool! Can't wait to meet him."  
"Thanks a lot, Lily."  
"Oh, don't mention it. Gotta go, my bus is here."  
"Sure. Travel safe and see you soon."  
"See you."


	6. Chapter 6

She gets to the airport and heads to the check-in terminals. She gets through pretty quickly and when she checks the time she realises she has more than an hour to spare.  
She finds a place to sit and checks the link Danny sent her. She finds herself on the channel of a guy named Jack McBrien. She looks at his picture - he actually looks older than seventeen, his hair is mess but in a cute way, he has very kind brown eyes and friendly smile, he has very distinctive cheek bones and a few frackles on his nose. He looks like a really great guy.   
She quickly texts Danny for Jack's number so she can find him on the airport and then she puts the headphones on and watch some of Jack's videos. After few minutes she's already cry laughing and she can't wait to meet this guy, so when Danny sends her the phone number, she immediately texts Jack.  
"Hey there, Lily here, got your number from Dan Collins, apparently we're on the same plane to London, I am already at the airport, wanna meet and hang out a bit? :)"  
She plans to watch some more videos but before she can even click on one, she gets a reply: "Still waiting for check-in." She is quite surprise by the abruptness of his message. On the picture and in his videos he looks like an easy-going, chatty, friendly guy, his message says otherwise. She goes back to his channel and quickly scroll through the list of his videos. Then the title of one of them catches her attention: "My panic attacks".  
And she immediately knows what's up - he's having a panic attack. She should be glad he replied at all. She doesn't even has to watch the video. She gets up and heads for the check-in terminals so she will be waiting on him when he gets through.   
There is quite a lot of people and these things can be pretty stressful, she totally gets why he's panicking. She can still remember her first time here - she was a mess.  
In a short moment she can see him going through the security and immediately she knows he's not doing well, he doesn't look comfortable at all, she can see his hands shaking and it hurts her see him like that even though she doesn't even know him yet. She just knows how hard is to go through something like that - when your mind is telling you that you're in denger even though you really aren't.  
Luckily there is no problem so the security releases him right away. He quickly grabs his stuff with his shaky hands and looks like he wanna just run away. She heads towards him and without a single world she hugs him tight. He just melts into her arms. She can fell him ease up.   
"It's okay, you did great," she says, still hugging him.  
When she pulls away, she puts her hands on his shoulders and looks him in the eyes. His eyes are watering and he is still shaking.   
"You're safe now, just take a deep breath," she says.  
He closes his eyes: "I feel so stupid!"  
"Don't! No reason to. You did great. You should have seen me going through the airport security for the first time! And I had to drag my friend with me, because I knew I wouldn't be able to do it alone," she laughs with the memory, it's funny now, sure wasn't funny then.  
"Really?" he asks and looks at her.  
She nods: "I think you were really brave," she smiles, "Now let's go to sit somewhere and chill before the flight."


	7. Chapter 7

They find a quiet corner to sit down and have a little chat.  
"By the way, I am Lily," she says when they sit down and reaches her hand to him.  
"I am Jack, it's good to meet you," he shakes her hand.  
"You too," she smiles, "Excited to see London?"  
"You bet! I've never been before."  
"You're gonna love it!"  
"I am a bit scared, I suppose. London is a big city and sometimes Dublin is more than enough for me," he says and Lily feels very privileged that he's already so open with her.  
"Don't worry, I'll be there with you!" she smiles and puts one hand on his shoulder.  
"Thank you so much! How did you know I was having panic attack?"  
"I saw the title of one of your videos and then the message you sent me didn't really look like the real you."  
"I am sorry. I know, I was quite rude."  
"Oh, don't worry, it's totaly okay. I am glad you texted back in the first place and I could be there for you."  
"You know somebody who suffers from panic attacks and anxiety?"  
"Yeah... Me," she gives him a sad smile.  
"What? I had no idea! From your videos or your blog."  
"You watch my videos?"  
"Of course! I love your channel!"  
"Oh, thanks a lot. I love yours too, even though I saw just a few videos so far. I catch up, don't worry," she laughs.  
"You better, otherwise we can't really be friends," he says and after a few silent seconds they both start laughing.  
"I will, I swear," she says, still laughing, "I really wanna be your friend."  
"Me too... I've never told anyone else about my anxiety."  
"Really? Like noone?"  
He shakes his head: "I don't have a lot of friends and I am afraid my dad wouldn't really understand."  
"What about you mum?"  
"She died a few years ago."  
"Oh my god, I am so sorry. I shouldn't have asked."  
"It's okay, you didn't know. And my dad is great, we are really close, so I am doing fine."  
"Then why do you think he wouldn't understand?"  
He shrugs: "I don't think anyone would ever really understand."  
"I know, it's hard to explain. But trust me, talking helps, it's good to open up. I think your dad should know. But until then... I am here for you to talk."  
"Thank you! You are amazing! How are you dealing with anxiety?"  
"It's not that bad as it used to, though I don't think it'll ever go away completely. I've been through shit. When I was seventeen I actually got sign up to the agency, like you, and it got kinda crazy. I was very busy and had to quit school for some time and I felt a lot of pressure and felt anxious a lot. Now I am back in school, in my last year and it's easier now. Even though I don't know I'm gonna finish and graduate, I don't feel that much pressure now."  
"Why wouldn't you graduate?"  
"Well... It's a long story," she smiles.  
"I have time."  
She looks at him and in his eyes she can see he really is interested in her. And just like that she tells him everything about George. Something about Jack makes her feel very comfortable to talk about it and she has to admit it is really good to finally tell someone.   
And he listens. He listens carefully, with interest, and doesn't go all judgemental on her which is something she does appreciate.  
"Oh, wow, that is pretty bad, huh?" he says when she's finished.  
"Tell me about it. I have no idea what to do."  
"Why don't you just talk to him?"  
She shrugs: "Not sure if he even wanna talk to me. And I am also pretty scared that it'll just make things even worse."  
"I get that. But you'll never know until you try it."  
"Yeah, you're right. I just had a lot on my plate, I guess I didn't wanna add to it. And maybe I just thought he would stop eventually, I didn't wanna believe he would be such an asshole. He definitelly didn't look like one."  
"I see. Well, maybe he'll stop and it'll be okay... If not, you should definitely talk to him. If nothing else than just to ask him why he is like that."  
"Yeah, totally. I would really loved to know that," she laughs nervously.  
And then they talk and talk and talk. Then they get on the plane, Lily switches seats with a lovely older lady so she can sit next to Jack and hold his hand during take off. He takes it very well, no panic attack and she tells him she is very proud of him. And then they talk some more and as they getting off of the plane in London, they're holding hands and cry laughing from something he just said and it feels like they've been best friends their whole life.  
They get through the security and Lily's just getting out her camera to film something for her vlog, as she just realised she hasn't film anything yet. But before she can actually turn the camera on, she sees Danny's face in the crowd by the airport exit. She waves at him and heads in his direction with Jack following her.  
"Hey!" she says, smiling, and gives him a hug.  
"Hello, you two! How was your flight?" he says and shakes hands with Jack.  
"Was alright," Jack says with a happy smile.  
"Good to hear. I'll take you two to the hotel and give you some time to settle in and then it's time to do some work," Danny smiles and heads to the parking lot. They follow him.  
"But don't worry, tomorrow is gonna be all about the party."  
"Oh, can't wait!" Lily and Jack say unison and then start laughing.  
"I can see you two are getting on pretty well. That's great!" Danny laughs too.  
They get in the car and head to the hotel.


	8. Chapter 8

They get to the hotel, Lily says to Danny that she knows how to get to the office and promises to be there in an hour or so. Danny leaves and they head to the reception. The receptionist is a nice young girl and she has no problem with getting them interlinked rooms when they ask for it - they wanna be able to talk to each other whenever they want.  
They go settle in their rooms and as Lily is alone in her room, she gets out her camera to finally film something. And because she is in a really great mood, she feels like doing something new and fun. She turns the camera on and goes to the door that leads to Jack's room. She knocks and waits for him to open: "Hello, sir, how are you doing on this fine day in London?" she asks in a posh kind of voice when he appears in the doorframe.  
He sees her camera right away and without a hesitation he says: "Hello, milady, it is a splendid day, indeed! What a fine city London is! I wonder what are our plans today?" and Lily just loves him for goofing around like this with her.  
Somehow she manages to keep serious face: "Oh, we have some business to attend to, sir. And I think we should get going as I believe our carriage is ready."  
"Oh, wonderful, milady! Let me just put on my coat and my bowler hat and we can be on our way," and with a little bow he disappears in his room and closes the door behind him.  
And Lily just laughs and turns to her camera: "Guys, that was Jack, he's a new in the agency and he is also from Dublin so we flew over here together and I actually love him!" she says, still laughing. Last time she was this happy was when she was with Neil. But she doesn't wanna think about that now. "He's an absolute darling and as you just saw, we have so much fun together. We just checked in into the hotel and we got interlinked rooms so... This is gonna be awesome! Now, we're heading to the office to do a bit of work and then I would love to show Jack the city so... I'll talk to you soon," she puts the camera down and gather the stuff she needs to take with her to the office. Then she goes to knock on Jack's door: "Hey, babe, ready to go?" she shouts.  
"Of course, meet you in the hallway."


	9. Chapter 9

They spend about an hour in the office - Jack signing in and Lily making some last-minute changes on her fashion line which is about to come out in a few months. And she is so excited about that. Fot now she is launching just women fashion but she is definitely planning expanding to men fashion in the future and she can already imagine Jack helping her, telling her what men like to wear and stuff like that. She is so happy right now. She's watching him through a glass wall to a meeting room where he's having a meeting with agency representatives. He's already signed in and now they're planning some stuff for the future. She is so proud of him.  
But right now, as she's watching him, she can actually feel his anxiety coming in on him. She knows this - she's been in his position once - new to the agency, a lot of preasure piling up, a lot of scenarios going through your head... It is not a good thing for anxiety.  
Jack looks uncomfortable. He tries so hard to hide it but he can't fool her - she knows the signs - hands in fists so noone sees how shaky they are, shalow and quick breathing, fake smile... It's all there.   
She'd love to help him but she knows she can't just walk in and stop the meeting. But Danny is there, so she reaches for her phone to text him: "Hey, D. Really sorry to bother you, was just wondering if you can somehow speed up the meeting. Can see Jack's anxiety showing and don't want him to have bad memories of his first day here. Would be very grateful to you if you could help! xxx"  
She can see Danny reaching for his phone and reading her text. Then he quickly looks at Jack and put the phone away. After a few seconds he says something, but she can't hear anything. Everyone in there laughs and nods, then they start getting up from their chairs. She sighs with relieve and looks at Jack. He is smiling and his smile looks a bit more real than the one before.   
She gets up from the sofa and waits for Jack to come. She hugs him until he relaxes a bit and then she pulls away to look him in the eyes: "Welcome to the agency, babe!" she smiles.  
"Thanks... Can we get out of here?"  
"Definitely!" she laughs.  
For a while they're just walking along the streets of London - without any destination and clear direction, soaking in the city atmosphere.   
After an hour or so they get hungry so they find a nice looking restaurant to have dinner. They talk, laugh and have the best time possible.  
They end the day with a stroll along the river.


	10. Chapter 10

When she gets up in the morning, she goes to the window to open the curtains. It's a beautiful sunny morning. She smiles.  
Then she gets back to her bed, sits down on the edge and pick up the hotel phone on the nightstand to order food for two to her room.  
When she's done with that, she uses the free time before the food arrives to call her mum.  
“Good morning, honey, how is London?" her mum says as soon as she picks up the phone.  
"Morning, ma, London is a beauty, as always, looks like it's gonna be a sunny day today."  
"Oh, wonderful! And it's the day of the party, right?"  
"Right! So excited! Can't wait to see everyone again! Also... I've got a new friend and he is presious!"  
"Wow! Tell me everything!"  
"He is actually from Dublin as well, we flew together. He's new in the agency and like, ma, he is just awesome! We had so much fun yesterday!"  
"I'm so glad to hear, darling. Can't wait to meet him when you two get back! But... You know, hon'... Neil hasn't forgoten about you, you know that, right?" her mum says carefully and Lilly sighs: "Well, I don't actually. Seems to me he has!"  
"Oh, sweetheart! He is still your best friend. When that first stage of his relationship is over, he'll come to you and it's gonna by just the two of you like it's always been."  
"I dunno... I just really enjoy spending time with Jack! You think there is such a thing as a friendship at first sight?" she laughs.  
"Oh, definitely!"  
There's knock on the door.  
"Ma, gotta go, breakfast is here, I'll call you later."  
"Sure, baby. Enjoy the day and take care. Bye."  
"Bye," she ends the call and gets up to go open the door.  
It is the room service bringing their breakfast. The guy puts the trail with food on the conference table and leaves again. Lily goes to knock on the door to Jack's room.  
"Morning, Lily," he says with a smile when he opens the door.  
"Oh my god! So cute!" Lily laughs when she sees him in his zebra onesie with the hood on.  
"Thanks!" he laughs.  
"C'mon, breakfast is here," she says then, gesturing towards the table with food.  
"For me too?"   
"Of course!"  
They go sit on the floor by the table and start eating.  
"How did you sleep?" she asks.  
"Really good. You?"   
"Same! So excited about today!"  
"You and me both. Who's gonna be there?"  
"Like... Everyone," she says and they both laugh.  
"I'm a bit nervous though. How everyone's gonna take me and stuff..."  
"Oh, you have nothing to worry about, babe, everyone's gonna love you!"  
"You think?"  
"I know! You are an absolute perfection!" she smiles at him.  
"Thanks," he smiles back but she somehow doesn't believe that his smile is real. Than the panic attack hits him so hard, it knocks the breath out of him. It scared the crap out of her because she has never experienced or even seen something like that. In a second she is by his side, putting one arm around his shoulders, trying to calm him down: "Calm down, babe," she is whispering, running her hand across his back, "Everything is okay, I am here for you."  
After few silent minutes, he can finally breath again: "I need to tell you something," he says then.  
"You can tell me anything!" she smiles at him but he can't even look at her.  
"I am gay," he says without a hesitation like he would be desperate to get it over with.  
"Did you just had a panic attack because you were afraid of my reaction?" she asks and he just nods.  
"Oh, babe!" she exhales and hugs him tightly for a moment, "I just told you - you are an absolute perfection! And nothing's gonna change that!"  
"I just..." he takes a deep breathe. She gives him time. "I just thought... You wanted us to be more than friends... I didn't wanna hurt you," he says and finally looks at her.  
She shakes her head: "I mean - not that I wouldn't think you're attractive, because you are! But I just... Maybe because of all that drama with George... I am not looking for any relationship. And I really need a friend like you!" she smiles and sees the corners of his lips going up as well, "I hate that you had such a bad panic attack because of me. Babe! You can tell me absolutely anything, any time, okay?"  
He nods: "Okay!"  
"Now let's finish breakfast. I thought we could go out shopping. Maybe to buy something nice for the party, what do you think?"  
"Sounds awesome! I am in!" he smiles and they start eating again.  
"So... Does your dad knows you're gay?" she asks after a while.  
"He thinks I am bi."  
"You told him that?"  
"Well... I realised I like boys quite soon. But before that I felt like I am supposed to like girls... So I did. And then I was really confused about everything... And that was around the time my mum passed away. So I had to talk to my dad about it... He was very cool about it, actually. Said I can like girls AND boys, that it doesn't really matter to him, he'll love me no matter what. So for some time I actually thought I am bi too and when I realised I like only boys I didn't feel the need to tell my dad because I knew it really doesn't matter to him. When I find someone, he's gonna interigate them no matter the gender, anyway, to see if they are good enough for me, so..."  
"No way!"  
"Oh, yes!" he laughs.  
"What does he do?"  
"He's a police officer."  
"Oh, I get that," she laughs too, "So have you ever dated anyone?"  
"Not yet."  
"Me neither."  
"What?" he says, surprised.  
She shrugs: "Bad expirience stopped me from doing that."  
"What expirience if you never dated anyone?"  
"Expirience with men."  
"What does that mean?"  
She shakes her head. She doesn't wanna talk about it.  
"You can tell me anything, okay?"  
She nods and sighs: "I dunno.... Just... When I got together with George in the summer - it was the first time after a long, long time of not having any kind of contact with any man. I don't even know how I was able to go with him so easily. Just..." she sighs again, "Something about him made me feel really safe..."  
"I'm sorry."  
"About what?"  
"That he's acting the way he is. I can see you're hurting... Even though you try so hard to be just pissed off."  
She laughs: "I should be though."  
"No doubt about it."  
"Just... That night was... Kinda amazing."  
"And... Are you scared of men?" he asks carefully.  
She shrugs. She just can't really talk about this. She has ever told this to only one person and that's only because she thought she's never going to see him ever again and even though she knows Jack's not gonna judge her or anything, she just doesn't know how to say it.  
Luckily, they are done with breakfast: "We should head out so we have time for some proper shopping," she smiles, "I vote for you going out in this," she points at his onesies.  
"I vote against," he laughs and gets up, "I'll get dressed and meet you in the hallway," he says, heading to his room, but before he closes the door, he turns his head: "You'll tell me the rest later, okay?" but it wasn't really a question and before she can say anything, he closes the door behind him.  
She smiles and goes to get dressed too.


	11. Chapter 11

Around noon they both already have a few bags with new clothes and decide to have a lunch somewhere.   
"I seriously love London!" Jack exhales when they sit down in one little charming restaurant.  
"I am glad," Lily laughs. She is really happy because Jack looks like he's having a wonderful time.  
They order food and talk about stuff they have bought and what else they could need for the party.  
When the food arrive, they eat and talk about their parents. It is quite obvious Jack loves his dad more than anything and from Jack's words his dad sounds like a great guy. Lily can't wait to meet him.  
When they're almost finished with their food, Lily's phone starts ringing. She looks at the displey to see Terri is calling her.  
"Hey, mate," she picks up.  
"Hi, Lilly," her friend answers, "How's London treating you?"  
"Awesome - as always," she smiles.  
"Oh, cool..."  
"What's up, T?" she asks, confused about her friend's hesitation.  
"Hon', I am really sorry, it's all my fault!"  
"What is all your fault?" she asks again, even more confused.  
"Well, yesterday I met Neil in town and we talked for a bit and we somehow got to talk about Donaldson and Neil told me what happened between you two in the summer..."   
"Fuck!" Lily curses. She suddenly gets so angry at Neil. "I'm sorry, T. I didn't tell you," she says, trying to stay calm.  
"That's okay, Lily. That's not all..."  
"Oh..."  
"I... I - it just slipped, okay... I am sorry! Really! I told Megan," he says and doesn't have to say anything else. They both know what that means. The whole school knows by now.  
"How bad is it?" she just asks, not really able to think clearly. The whole world is spinning around her and that dream of graduating slipping through her fingers.  
Terri hesitates.  
"So it's very bad, huh?" she demands an answer.  
"Donaldson was in the principal's office twice today. Apparently, was a pain in the ass during all of his classes... Some girls are jealous of you, orherwise students don't really care."  
"Well, at least one good thing."  
"Please, don't be mad at me. I know I screwed up, I am really sorry."  
"It's okay, Terri. Not really your fault. People would find out eventually. Thanks for the heads up though. Monday's gonna be fun," she laughs nervously.  
"Yeah. Look forward to seeing you."  
"Mee too, have a great weekend, T."  
"And you! Enjoy the party and see you on Monday."  
"See you!" she says and hangs up.  
"What the hell happened?" Jack asks right away.  
She shakes her head and feels like crying. It all just crumbled down like a house of cards. Now George's gonna hate her even more - if it's even possible.  
"Hey," Jack says quietly and reaches across the table to hold her hand, "Tell me, please."  
She looks him in the eyes and tells him everything - what happened, how angry she is with Neil, because he decided to walk out of her life but still has apparently a right to affect it, how it hurts to think that George hates her... Tears are rolling down her cheeks and she can feel that awful familiar feeling of anxiety. And there is nothing she can do about it now.  
"I really wanna call Neil to tell him what I think!" she says through her clenched teeth.  
"Don't! You are angry now but you would regret it later."  
"He wouldn't pick up anyway," she says with resignation.  
"Babe? I know it's hard but try not to think about it. You can do nothing about it now. Let's enjoy today, let's enjoy the party, let's postpone our flight to Sunday and enjoy one more day in London - just the two of us!" he smiles and she immediately nods.  
"And you deal with this on Monday, as it comes. And you WILL deal with it. You are strong, brave, fierce and you don't back down from anything!"  
"I seriously love you!"


	12. Chapter 12

It's 4 pm when they're finally making their way to the youtubers' party. They've already made a phonecall to the airlines to postpone their flight so they already know they have one more day in London and they are so happy about that. Lily is just not ready to go back home. And she's not sure she'll ever be when she knows what's waiting for her there. But she doesn't think about it now.  
Now she's listing all the people she can't wait to meet at the party she's heading to now, hand in hand with her new best friend. Life's good right now.   
"Wow! Can't wait to meet everyone," Jack smiles when she's gone through what feels like basically the whole guest list.  
"We're gonna have a great time!" she nods, beaming with excitement.  
"You bet!" he agrees.  
The party takes place in a very luxurious estate on the outskirts of London. They have to take the tube to get there but it doesn't take long.  
The place is already packed with people and she almost starts running to already be there.  
"Don't worry, we'll get there," Jack laughs, still holding her hand.  
"Sorry," she laughs too.  
They do eventually get there and meet with Danny by the entrance.  
"Hey, you two," Danny says with a smile, already holding onto a glass of red wine, and hugs both of them.  
"Hi," Lily says, "So who's already here?"  
"Almost everyone," Danny replies, "Go see for yourself. And have fun guys, I'll see you later."  
"Thanks. See ya," she smiles and with Jack by her side she goes to join the others.  
Party is under the sun - it's a beautiful day, blue sky, warm air with a light breeze - perfect weather for something like this.  
They head for a little outside bar where she asks for a glass of white wine and Jack gets a pepsi. They cling their glasses before drinking, grinning at each other.   
"Lilyyyyyy!" she hears suddenly and knows immediately who's that.   
She turns around: "Zoeeeeee!" They hug each other.  
"I was sooo looking forward to seeing you again," Zoe says, still hugging Lily.  
"Me too," Lily smiles, "Zoe, this is Jack, he just got signed up with the agency. Jack, this is Zoe," she says when they break the hug.  
"Hi, Jack, so good to meet you," Zoe says and hugs him.  
"You too, Zoe."  
"I've heard about you, love your videos!" Zoe says.  
"Really? You saw my videos?"  
"Of course. Well, some of them. But they were really great," she laughs.  
"Thank you so much, means a lot. Obviously, I love your videos!"   
"Duh, obviously!" she says and they all laugh.  
"Hey, where's that boy of yours?" Lily asks then.  
"He's here somewhere, probably at the inside bar, drinking with guys."  
"Of course he is," Lily laughs, "I'm sure I'll see him later."  
"Definitely. So how's your collection coming together?" Zoe asks.  
And they talk, talk and talk. About everything. They laugh and have the greatest time. A few other people join them and they all go sit by one of the tables that are put by a big barn outside. The huge doors of the barn are closed but there are fairy lights strings around them so Lily spends a few seconds contemplating if there is something inside or not.  
Soon enough, she finds out. In time for dinner, Danny steps out of the crowd: "Can I get everyone's attention?" he says loudly. Everyone goes quiet and turns their head to him. "I'd like to welcome you again on this celebration of each and every one of you. Every year the number of you grows bigger and we are very proud of that. I would like to thank you for all the work you do. You all are amazing and it is a great privilege to work with you..." he earns a round of applause. "Now, let's eat!"  
And with that, the huge door to the barn are opened by two waiters from inside, the fairly lights light up, and inside there are two long tables, beautifully decorated, lit by the candles. Everyone sigh with surprise. It is beautiful.  
"Wow!" Lily whispers.  
"This is freaking amazing!" Jack says, putting one arm around Lily's shoulders. And right here, right now, Lily is the happiest - Jack by her side, great friends around her, the agency that gots her back and treats her like this - what else she needs?!  
Everyone goes to find a place by one of the tables in the barn. Lily walks hand in hand with Jack when she hears: "Hey, Lily," but before she can say anything, Alfie's already hugging her.  
"Hey you!" she says into his ear, "So good to see you. How you've been?" she adds when he breaks the hug.  
"So good to see you too! I've been great, lot of stuff is happening, we have a lot of catching up to do. Mind if I sit next you?" he smiles.  
"Of course not!" she returns the smile, "By the way this is Jack. Jack, this is Alfie."


	13. Chapter 13

During the dinner she hears everything about Alfies's new projects and she tells him all about her collection. It's good to talk to him again after such a long time.  
After dinner, when everyone is full of delicious food, Danny gets up: "Hey, everyone, I'd like to ask you to step out for a moment so we can get the tables away to make a room for dancing. Thank you."  
By that time, Lily notices a little DJ's station in one corner and there's already a guy getting ready to play some music.   
When everyone's leaving the barn, it's already dark outside and everything is lid only by millions of fairy lights. It's beautiful! Lily breaths in the fresh evening air: "Hey," she turns to Jack, "I'm gonna step out for a moment to film something, okay?" she smiles.  
"Sure. You okay?"  
"Of course. Be right back."  
She walks around the main building and find a bench to sit down. It's dark here. She can hear hushed voices from the garden but it is peaceful here.  
She decides not to film anything because the lighting is terrible here but she doesn't wanna go back just yet - she feels like being alone for a minute. She gets her phone from the bag and texts her mum that she's okay, the party is great and she'll be coming back on Sunday.  
Then she lights a cigarette. She can't help but think about what's waiting on her back home - all the drama in school, George, Neil... She has to deal with all of it. She doesn't want to and doesn't know how. But she just has to.   
She's confused about her feelings towards Neil right now. She misses him, misses talking to him, laughing with him, talking about guys with him... But she doesn't know if after what he's done to her, things will ever be the same between them. And it hurts.  
"There you are!" she hears and looks up to see Alfie with a drink in one hand and a glass of white wine in the other, "Can I join you for a while?"  
"Sure!" she smiles.  
He sits down and hands her the wine: "There you go, just for you."  
"Thanks."  
"So?" he looks at her.  
"So?"   
"I was chatting with Jack for a bit. He mentioned some guy... George? What's up with that?"  
She shrugs.  
"Don't do that, c'mon! Tell me, please. You know, I've never told anyone anything," he gives her that genuine bright smile of his that she can't really say no to.  
She sighs: "It's all too fucking complicated!"  
"It always is."  
"Not like this," she laughs.  
"I am listening."  
And she talks. She tells him everything - every single thing, every little detail. She tells him about George, about Neil, about her anxiety being so much worse lately, about school being hard, about the fear of not being able to graduate... They drink, she talks, he listens - like he always does. She adores him for that. She was always able to tell him things she couldn't tell to anyone else. Her one big scary secret - he's the only one who knows. A guy hurt her - she was hurt, she was scared, not sure she could ever trust any guy again... Then she met Alfie. He was friendly, kind, nice, so protective of her. Somehow she felt like it's okay to tell him. She tried to calm herself with a thought they don't have to see each other ever again but it was still so scary to tell him. It felt good in the end - not to keep it inside. He was amazing, he was understanding. He hugged her, told her he is sorry for all the guys in the world and assured her she's going to find a perfect guy one day. And with that he's sent her to the right path - to understand, to accept, to move on, to get better. She still felt used, but she didn't feel broken anymore. And she's always going to be grateful for that to him.


	14. Chapter 14

"I know it's damn hard - to deal with all of this. He is an asshole for acting like he is but maybe he's still in a shock, I dunno. Jack's right, you should talk to him, definitely! Try to clear things up," Alfie says.  
"Dunno if it's not too late now, when everyone already knows," she shrugs.  
"It is never too late. Lily, you can't ignore the fact that George was the one you decided to go with - after two years, after all the guys who were intetested in you but you didn't go with them because you were scared - which is not a bad thing, don't get me wrong... But George made you feel safe, he is somehow special to you... Even though you don't really know how or why, but he is - you can't ignore that!" he says and she knows he is totally hundred per cent right.  
"Maybe he's hurting too, you know," he continues, "Maybe he fell for you and when he saw you in the class he thought it's not possible for you two to be together and now he's trying to make you hate him or talk himself into hating you, I dunno, because he thought it would be better than being brokenhearted."  
"Maybe," she says quietly, "Won't never know unless I talk to him."  
'That's right."  
"Oh, I've found them!" shouts Jack who appears from behind the corner, "C'mon, Lil', everybody's looking for you," he smiles at her. She is confused but gets up and both, her and Alfie follow Jack back to the barn.  
Everyone is there, everyone is watching Lily as she's making her way to the centre of the dancing floor where Danny is standing.  
"Don't you think we'd forget you're having a birthday in ten days!" Danny says with a smile and Lily just laughs.  
Then all the lights switch off and in a few seconds someone is bringing in a huge birthday cake with light up candles and everyone starts singing 'happy birthday' to her.  
She is really touched by that gesture and in that moment she feels like the luckiest girl in the world for having so many amazing people around her.  
They finish the song and she blows out the candles. Everyone cheers and lights switch back on.  
"Now let's have some cake!" Danny says.


	15. Chapter 15

She doesn't get any presents but somehow she feels like there's gonna be tons of them on her actual birthday. She doesn't really care though. Just being here with these people is the best present she could have asks for.   
The eat cake, they drink, they dance, they laugh - enjoying the party the best way they can.  
She finds out that Zoe and Alfie are staying in the same hotel as her and Jack so around midnight when the party is getting to its end and everyone is starting to leave, they decide to get a cab together, all four of them.  
Lily and Alfie are laughing like crazy about almost everything because they're a bit tipsy, Zoe's being the responsible one and Jack's making fun of them for being old drunks.  
In the end, Lily and Alfie head for the hotel bar to have one more drink and end up talking for almost two hours.  
***  
Morning is tough. She doesn't have a hangover. But she feels really tired like she would just run a marathon and because she didn't take a shower before she went to bed, she feels kinda disgusting.  
So when she gets up from bed, she heads straight to the bathroom.  
After shower she feels so much better.  
She puts the dress and the make-up on. Then she knocks on Jack's door but there's no answer. So she goes to find her phone in her bag to check for any messages. There's two from Jack, one from Zoe and one missed call from her mum.   
"Are you awake?" says the first message from Jack.  
"Sorry, am really hungry, gonna get some breakfast. Come join me downstairs when you wake up," says the second one.  
"Morning, Lily. We're leaving quite soon today so come have a breakfast with us. We don't wanna leave before saying goodbye," says the message from Zoe.  
She grabs her room key and leave the room to head downstairs to the hotel reataurant. She dials her mum's number.  
"Hello, Lily," her mum says and Lily immediately knows she is angry.  
"Good morning, mum, what's up?"  
"Got a phone call from your principal yesterday."  
"Oh."  
"Oh? That's all you're gonna say?"  
"And what do you want to hear?"  
"Jeez, I dunno, Lily. How could you sleep with your professor?"  
"Mum, I didn't know he's gonna be my professor."  
"But he is so much older than you!"  
"Mum, I am 21, don't you think I can do these decisions by myself - who I'm gonna be with and stuff?"  
"Apparently not."  
"Thanks, ma," she smiles sarcastically.  
"Well, anyway... The principal told me that basically one of you will have to leave school. Either you'll decide to leave, or he's gonna fire him," her mum says like it's nothing and Lily forgets to breath. There goes her dream of graduating.  
"Sorry, ma, I'll call you later," she quickly finishes the phone call and make her way to the hotel dining room. She is shaking. She feels like her life has just shattered to million pieces. After this, there is no doubt that George's gonna hate her. She is scared, she is disappointed in herself, she is angry... She is everything at once. She feels weak. She can't catch her breathe properly, her chest hurts - she knows what that means - anxiety attack.  
She steps into the dining room and right away she can see Jack, Zoe and Alfie sitting at one table. She's desperately trying to breath normally again but it's just impossible. They see her and they all just know. Jack gets up and goes towards her to hug her: "It's okay, babe, I'm here for you. Go sit down, I'm gonna get you a cup of coffee."  
"Thanks," she whispers, her voice shaking, and head for the table.  
"Hey, guys," she says to Alfie and Zoe and sits down.  
"Morning, Lil', what happened?" Alfie asks.  
She just shrugs in complete resignation. She just want to crawl somewhere and cry her eyes out. All the voices in her head are telling her she's useless, not good enough, all she does is screw things up - not just for herself, but now for George as well. Even her best friend doesn't want to know her anymore. She doesn't deserve anything good in her life. She's gonna hurt everyone eventually or they're just gonna leave her because she's a horrible person.  
"Hey,' Jack says softly and puts a cup of coffee in front of her.  
"Thanks," she whispers and wraps her shaky hands around the cup. It's warm and comforting.  
"Do you wanna talk about what happened?" Jack asks.  
"My mum called."  
"Is everybody alright at home?" Zoe asks, scared of the answer.  
Lily nods: "Yes, but the principal called her yesterday."  
"Is she angry?" Alfie asks.  
Lily nods again and hesitates for a second. Nobody really knows what to say, so she continues: "Also he told her that either I'll leave the school or he'll fire George."  
"What? Can he do that?" Jack is shocked.  
"Well, apparently he can," Lily shrugs.  
"Do you wanna leave the school?" Zoe asks, not really knowing what's going on.  
"I don't. But I will... So George won't get fired," there she said it. She finally admited it - she's gonna leave school, she won't graduate. That dream is now gone.


	16. Chapter 16

She isn't really hungry so she just drinks the coffee and skips the breakfast. She doesn't talk about it anymore - what's done is done, the decision has been made, there's nothing more to say or do.  
Instead they talk about the last night's party. They laugh and Lily feels a little better. She might be disappointed she's not gonna finish school, but at the same time she feels like a huge weight has been lifted from her shoulders.  
When she finishes the coffee and they're all done with breakfast, they get up from the table and head for the elevators.  
"We should say our goodbyes," Zoe says with a sad face.  
"Hope to see you soon!" Lily returns the sad face.  
"Yes, we have to!" Alfie says, "Maybe you two can visit us in Brighton."  
"I would love that! It's been like a whole year since the last time I was there," Lily says.  
"Maybe even more. You have to come," Alfie nods, "Maybe around your birthday? For the weekend?"  
"Yes! You have to see the autumn in Brighton, it's beautiful!" Zoe agrees, "Last time, you came in the summer, right?"  
"Yes, but it was beautiful anyway," Lily laughs.  
"I know. But in the autumn, the city is kinda magical," Zoe grins.  
"Okay then," Lily says with a smile.  
"Okay, it's a deal," Alfie says, "What about you, Jack?"  
"I would love to come, if you don't mind."  
"Of course not. Would love to see you again. Have you ever been to Brighton?" Zoe asks.  
"Not yet."  
"Oh, you're gonna love it!" Alfie says, "Okay, we're gonna expect you. But we'll be in touch until then," he smiles and looks at Lily, "Take care, Lil', alright?" he says and gives her a hug.  
"You too, Alf, thanks for everything," she hugs him tightly.  
"You're welcome. And call me, okay?" he says when they break the hug.  
"Of course!" she laughs.  
Then he hugs Jack and Lily hugs Zoe. "Bye, babe!" Lily says.  
"Bye, hon'. See you soon!"  
"See you soon!"  
Then Zoe hugs Jack and they all step into one elevator. On the second floor, where Zoe and Alfie step out, they say one more goodbye. The door shuts again and Lily and Jack continues to the fifth floor.  
"We can just chill in our rooms today if you don't feel like going out," Jack smiles.  
"Oh, nonsense. I'm fine. Let's have some fun on our last day in London," she returns the smile.  
"Okay," he nods, "What are we going to do?"   
"I think you shouldn't miss a bit of sightseeing, what do you say?" she smiles.  
"Yes!"  
"I'd say Big Ben, Trafalgar, The Eye, maybe Madame Tussauds?"   
"Yes. Yes to all!" he says with excitement and she laughs.  
"Okay. That's our plan then."  
They go to their rooms just to grab some stuff and head out right away. Lily gets her camera to film an intro to her today's vlog and they are out of the hotel.  
They are not far from The Big Ben so they decide to walk. Lily lights a cigarette. They're not in rush, they have the whole day. Sun is shining, it's quite a warm morning.  
They talk about random stuff and they laugh a lot. They still kind of getting to know each other and Lily adores him more and more. He feels like her soul mate and even though it kinda hurts, she has to admit he reminds her of Neil, and she missed that kind of vibe - being with her guy best friend, talking about non important staff and having a great time while doing that.  
"So are you okay?" Jack asks when they're chilling at a bench by the river, looking at The London Eye, their next destination.   
"Yeah," she says hesitantly, "Or at least, I will be, when it's all over... I'm scared of Monday but also kinda looking forward to it because I want it to be all settled and stuff."  
"Yeah, I get that... So you are really leaving school, huh?"  
She shrugs: "I have no other option."  
They're both quiet for a minute. Lily lights a cigarette.  
"Jack?"  
"Yes?"  
"Do you think... Me and George... Like..." she can't really say it out loud.  
Jack smiles - he obviously reads her like an open book: "You like him, huh?"  
She nods: "Something that Alfie said made me think... Like... George is kinda special to me... Somehow... I dunno."  
"After that one night?"  
She shrugs: "It's complicated... But yeah."  
"Is it complicated or you don't wanna tell me?"  
"It's not that I don't want to. It's just... Really hard to talk about it."  
"Alfie knows?"  
She nods: "He's the only one."  
"You know, you can tell me anything. I won't judge! I just really wanna help you."  
"I know, I just..." she is quiet for a second, "I was raped," she says out of the blue - like tearing off a plaster.  
He's quiet. She can feel her heart beating faster, her breath getting more shallow, she feels anxiety attack coming. She's scared he's gonna run away, he's gonna leave her now, because she's damaged.  
But before she can get lost in her worst thoughts, he wraps his arms around her and pulls her into a tight hug: "I admire you so much!" he whispers. And in that moment - she let all her walls fall down. She sobs into his shoulder and he's just there, holding her in his arms, running his hand across her back, being there for her.  
"Do you wanna talk about it?" he asks when she calms down and he breaks the hug.  
"Maybe later. Now - let's go up there!" she says, pointing at The London Eye.  
"Okay," he smiles and they get up.  
They ride The London Eye - just standing by the railing side by side, looking down at the city. They don't talk. But still Lily feels like she's never been closer to anyone before. She looks up at him and smiles. He puts one arm around her shoulders and kisses her hair. She snuggles up to him and they're like that for the rest of the ride - neither one of them has the need to say anything.


End file.
